


quid pro quo

by allechant



Category: Helix Waltz (Video Game)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-02
Updated: 2018-12-12
Packaged: 2019-09-05 18:39:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16816246
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/allechant/pseuds/allechant
Summary: Magda Ellenstein is in need of information. And in Finsel, there is no person better at providing information than Carlos, the advisor of the Golden Merc Corps. But Carlos never does anything for free, and Magda is in no way prepared for what he might want in return.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> There isn't anything about Carlos in the Helix Waltz fandom so far, which is a damn shame because look at that beautiful, beautiful man. I just have a thing for men who are rational, distant and mysterious, plus he has such a gorgeous character design. WIP.

_Tap. Tap. Tap_. The sound of the pen repeatedly hitting the table seemed to irritate Shatina. His boss shot him a glare, and he just shrugged, twirling the pen around his fingers.

They were supposed to discuss a deal with some rich Rayorcan merchant who wanted to transport goods to the North; given all the recent rumours about griffins and whatnot, it wasn’t surprising that there was a sudden influx of traders seeking the services of the Golden Merc Corps.

Honestly, if it was up to him he’d just send Gocheau and be off with him. The damned demon had been moaning about his imminent demise for the past two weeks. If Carlos had to listen to him talking about how they were all “another day closer to death” just _one more time_ , he would push him off the highest tower -

“Isn’t that Magda?” Shatina interrupted his grousing. Carlos dropped his pen. Magda Ellenstein, waltzing into a place like this? It certainly wasn’t the first time he caught her coming to the tavern, but he knew that she wouldn’t be here for no reason.

True to what his boss said, he noticed Magda sneaking in through the front door, probably hoping that she wouldn’t run into anyone who recognised her. As always, she was wearing some kind of atrocious disguise - anyone who knew Magda would be able to recognise those clear blue eyes no matter what mask she wore.

One thing all mercenaries had to be was observant, and Carlos was more observant than most. That, plus his keen eye for fashion meant that he could recognise good quality material when he saw it, even if the dress she was wearing was likely one of the plainer ones she had in her wardrobe.

“Look at her, walking around all lost and nervous,” Shatina mused. “There’s no lack of men in here who would want to gobble up that sweet young thing. What do you think she’s here for?”

“I don’t know,” Carlos shrugged. “And it’s not our business to care,” though he did very much want to know. After all, Magda was a new noble helping her mother to climb the ranks of the nobility - she would probably be the first person to know about anything interesting going on.

It didn’t hurt that she had such a pretty face. Lovely blonde hair and gorgeous blue eyes…it would be a damn shame if she ever got engaged to one of those weak noblemen always crowding around her at balls. It was pathetic. Like flies buzzing to honey.

“I’m going to talk to her,” he announced, placing his pen back in the same pocket as his notebook. Shatina scowled at him.

“Stay where you are,” she commanded. She was definitely impatient - the Rayorcan merchant was later than he said he would be - and if Carlos went off, Shatina would have no one at all to entertain her. The one thing his half-demon boss hated was being bored.

“You’re always trying to make me give you some space, Shatina,” Carlos drawled. “Now I’m just acquiescing to your wishes,” he smiled sweetly at her, and while Shatina grumbled and complained, he headed towards Magda, who was now at the bar, clearly looking for someone.

“Why, Lady Ellenstein, you’re as beautiful as always. This dress suits you so well,” he greeted her, and she jumped at the sound of his voice, blue eyes widening in surprise. He found it amusing that he could shock her so easily. You’d think that someone who went around eavesdropping on other people’s private conversations would at least be immune to being startled.

“Carlos!” she exclaimed, before looking around nervously. “What are you doing here?” she added, relaxing just a tiny bit. He wondered why. Maybe she was waiting for someone too, and that person had not yet arrived.

“Waiting for someone. We have a proposition to listen to,” he smiled again, noticing the faint dusting of pink that spread across Magda’s fair cheeks. She was so readable that it was almost cute. “And what about you, Magda?”

“Oh, I’m…um, I’m just waiting for someone too,” she answered hesitantly, her gaze darting around once more. Carlos raised an eyebrow, waiting for further elaboration if any. “Um, I need to find out more about what’s happening in the slums…” she whispered after the silence between them stretched on too long for her to bear.

“The slums? It’s the same as always. Depravity, violence and disappearances,” Carlos shrugged. “I’m not sure why someone of noble upbringing like you would want to concern yourself with the slums, Lady Ellenstein. Aren’t you afraid you’ll end up dirtying your dress?” he added, a teasing lilt in his voice.

“I don’t mind that!” she retorted, her face turning redder. She was too easy to provoke. “But there are people disappearing and they don’t get found…I’m worried about it! I mean, what if the next person to disappear is Motiti? Or Brala? Or even you?” she concluded, clearly expecting some kind of dramatic response.

Carlos just stared at her. “I’m a mercenary,” he reminded her. “I’m sure that if there was anyone who wanted to kidnap me, they’d meet some pretty good resistance,” he paused, letting his words sink in. Magda seemed to shrink into her chair. “How about this, Lady Ellenstein? I _may_ have some information related to your little problem, and I don’t mind sharing it with you since you are so earnest about it.”

“Really?” she piped up, obviously excited. There was a beatific smile on her face. “Thank you so much, Carlos! May the Goddess bless you!”

“I’m not _done_ ,” he shook his head, and her smile dimmed slightly. “I’m not just going to give you intel for free, you know. Nothing ever comes free in this world,” he tilted his head, appraising her. Magda frowned.

“What do you want? Intel? I can get you some, no problem. I bet there are some secrets or rumours that even you don’t know about -” she started, but before she could finish what she was saying, Carlos interjected.

“I don’t need anything like that from you, Lady Ellenstein,” he sighed. “But I _do_ have a little problem on my hands, and I might need you to help me with it. I won’t tell you what it’s about yet since it’s somewhat confidential, but if you agree to owe me this favour then I’ll tell you what I know. Deal?”

Magda hesitated, but as he knew she would, she eventually nodded. Carlos smiled as they shook hands. “Oh, you won’t regret it, Lady Ellenstein,” he promised. She muttered something along the lines of “I hope I won’t either”, but he pretended not to hear what she said.

He would have to thank the Rayorcan merchant for being late. Otherwise, there was probably no way he would have stumbled across such a fascinating opportunity. “Now I must return to Shatina before she starts brawling with drunkards. _Adieu_ , Lady Ellenstein,” he bade her farewell and watched as Magda gathered up her dress and darted furtively out of the tavern.


	2. Chapter 2

"There's a gentleman asking for you, my lady!" her maid burst excitedly into Magda's room, making her jump in surprise. Magda hastily put away the notebook where she kept all the intel she had ever discovered.

"Oh, who?" she asked, fingers fluttering over her hair. She wasn't exactly in the best state to receive visitors right now - she was still in her sleeping gown, for Goddess' sake - but if she guessed right, it was probably someone here to trade intel. She hoped it was Alan, the guardsman wouldn't mind even if she wasn't dressed appropriately to meet him.

"I don't know, my lady. But he's so handsome!" the maid gushed. "Though his red eyes are a little...well, creepy," she added as an afterthought.

Magda almost fell out of her chair. Only one person who fit the description came to mind, and she could already imagine Carlos judging her lack of proper dressing. At the very least she couldn't show up in front of him wearing her nightgown. "Uh, tell him I'll be downstairs shortly!" she hastily threw open her wardrobe, looking for something she could quickly change into. The maid nodded and left the room, and in the back of her head Magda wondered why Carlos was here to see her today.

Meanwhile, Carlos was looking around the parlour of the Ellenstein home. While it wasn't as grand as other nobles' houses, it wasn't too shabby either. It seemed like the Ellenstein family really was climbing back up the social ladder. Now probably would be a good time to establish a closer relationship with Magda - who knows where the Ellensteins would end up in the future.

"I'm so sorry to keep you waiting," he looked up at the sound of Magda's voice. The blonde was rushing down the stairs, wearing a simple white slip with a translucent cardigan that did little to cover up her bare skin.

It was only when she called his name that he realised he was blatantly staring. He shook his head, coughing to cover up his embarrassment. "Ah, yes, Lady Ellenstein," he greeted her. "I'm here regarding the agreement we made at the tavern...if you still remember that?"

Magda nodded. "You claimed you know about the disappearances in the slums, right?" she asked. Carlos smiled but said nothing. "What do you know?" she pressed, the light of curiosity shining brightly in her pretty blue eyes. He felt a sudden tinge of wistfulness.

How nice it must be, to be so young and passionate and naive. But he was long past that, wasn't he? "Before I tell you anything, let me just remind you that this entitles me to a favour from you. When the time comes, you can't turn me down, no matter how poorly you feel about what you must do. Is that all right with you?" he cautioned. He didn't want her accusing him of being unclear.

She hesitated for a moment but still nodded, like the trusting little girl she was. He really did luck out this time. There was no one else he could have turned to for the little problem on his hands - Shatina would just laugh, and he refused to pay other mercenaries to carry out the task for him.

“All right, that’s settled then,” Carlos’ smile returned. Magda somehow felt like she had just drawn the short end of the stick, but before she could even open her mouth, Carlos went on. “So, about the disappearances in the slums...which ones are you more interested to know about? The civilians, or the Orens, or the underground fighters?” he took out his notebook and flipped quickly through the pages.

Magda blinked. She didn’t know there were _so_ many people disappearing from the slums. There were many Orens dying and being abused, that much she knew - she found out about those rumours at the balls, and it was always something that made her stomach churn - but she hadn’t known that the underground fighters were disappearing too. She wondered if Willow had heard anything about that.

“All of them?” she asked, the lilt of uncertainty turning her statement into a question. Carlos raised an eyebrow, but nodded and flipped back to the very start of his notebook.

“All right - so, for the disappearing civilians, that has been linked to a certain casino in the slums. I don’t know if you are familiar with Mr Blackgloves?” Magda made a sound of affirmation, and Carlos continued. “The casino has a policy where people who are consistently unable to pay their debts and spend beyond their means are captured and sold into the slave trade. There is also an interesting rumour lately about how Rayorca and the Lionheart Kingdom are seeking to expand their military might. It might be linked to the disappearances since Finsel’s slums are a convenient outlet to forcefully recruit people. Also, from what I understand...some higher authority is demanding resources from the slums, but who or what and for what purpose, I do not yet know.”

Magda wasn’t entirely sure what she could do with this information besides persuading Blackgloves to stop selling people into the slave trade, but she appreciated Carlos letting her know nevertheless. Perhaps she could ask around at the balls to see if anyone knew about this so-called higher authority. “What about the Orens?”

Carlos abruptly shut his notebook. “Now, that’s a _lot_ of information to share for just one favour, isn’t it?” the mercenary asked, his voice gentle and calm, but the wicked smile on his face was anything but so. The feeling of discomfort in Magda’s stomach was worsening. “If you want to know more, then maybe we can start by paying me back first, and if things go well then I’ll give you more information. How about that?”

“You said I’d only have to do one favour for you in exchange for the intel!” Magda protested, her heart thudding in her chest. Carlos shrugged, approaching her, and she held her breath when the mercenary lightly touched her chin, tilting her face up. His white gloves were cold.

“Yes, one favour in exchange for one piece of information,” Carlos leant close, his voice whispering into her ear. She couldn’t help but shiver. He had such a nice silky voice, the kind that you could almost _feel_ running against your skin. “If you want more, then you need to do more for me in exchange.”

She jerked her chin back, glaring at the mercenary. Carlos’ pleasant smile had returned, and she was reminded of his reputation as the “smiling tiger of Finsel” - that smile could be sweet, but it hid something cold and dangerous. “What do you want me to do?” she muttered, resisting the urge to fold her arms across her chest. She didn’t want to look childish in front of him.

“Meet me tonight at the Bavlenka’s dinner,” Carlos drew out a gilded invitation from his pocket, handing it to her with a shallow bow. She took it, fingers tracing the delicate gold lettering and the smooth, sturdy parchment. “You’ll find out more then. And if you don’t come...well, I know where you live, after all.”

With those ominous parting words, Carlos waved and showed himself out of the door. Magda sighed and sat on a nearby chair, studying the invitation intently. It didn’t seem like she had much choice in this matter, even if she really didn’t like going to Bavlenka balls because of the Grand Duke.

Hopefully whatever Carlos wanted her to do wouldn’t be too difficult. She still had a luncheon to get ready for tomorrow so she would prefer not to stay out too late tonight.


	3. Chapter 3

Night came quickly, and she had to wonder where all those hours had gone. She took a look at the invitation again - the theme for tonight was blue, it stated. She smoothed down the fabric of her dress and made some final adjustments to her shawl and jewellery. "I _really_ hope I don't end up regretting this," she murmured, glancing at the mirror.

"Remember, don't do anything to draw attention to yourself," her mother suddenly entered her room, making Magda jump. "It's true that normally, you should aim to outshine every other woman at the ball...but if Grand Duke Bavlenka himself is there, the last thing we want is for him to notice us," she approached Magda, placing a frail hand on her shoulder. Magda nodded, glancing at her reflection again. Had she always been this tall? For so long, she remembered her mother towering over her, a figure who was both protective and aspirational.

Now, her mother looked so tiny. Age and exhaustion had worn her down, though one could still see the traces of the elegant, beautiful noblewoman she used to be. "All right, I'll keep that in mind. I'm leaving now, Mother," Magda drew her shawl around herself, grabbing a blue purse from her dresser. Her mother nodded, stepping aside, and Magda went down the stairs towards the waiting carriage. She hoped against hope that Carlos would forget to come to the dinner, or that he would be held up by other things, but she knew deep down that none of these scenarios was going to happen.

Meanwhile, Carlos was trying his best to avoid a few noblewomen who looked _slightly_ too interested in him for his own good. His eyelid twitched. He wasn't too fond of attending these balls - much like Shatina, he was of the opinion that they were ridiculous and suffocating - but he couldn't deny that this was an easy way to gather information. People's tongues got loose when they drank too much wine, and when loose tongues wagged, Carlos' notebook filled up further, so he tried not to think too much about these disadvantages.

"Of course I'd love to dance, but perhaps you would first like a drink?" he suggested, taking a glass of wine from a passing waiter. The lady blushed and giggled, fluttering her fan, and he pretended he didn't understand fan language even though he knew perfectly well she had just asked him a question. "It's a wonderful evening, isn't it?" he asked, blinking innocently at her, keeping a careful, placid smile on his face.

Her smile dimmed a bit, but she nodded and reached out for the wine he offered her. At that same moment, a murmur rippled through the crowd and he looked up, wondering what was causing all this ruckus - a feeling of immense relief flooded through him when he saw Magda coming through the door, wearing a lovely blue dress that was almost the exact same stunning shade of blue as her eyes. "Ah, do excuse me for a moment," he nodded at the lady and slipped away before she could respond.

He spent the rest of his time hiding near the refreshments, aware that most noble ladies wouldn't touch the food at balls - after all, they were all so obsessed with maintaining their figures and making sure they didn't gain even a single ounce. The only girl he ever saw eating regularly at balls was Magda, but then again she wasn't like most noblewomen. He continued to observe from his hiding place, eavesdropping on conversations whenever they became a little too loud - he noticed Magda making small talk all around the ball and knew she would come to him soon.

Eventually, just like he thought, Magda approached him. "Good evening, Carlos," she greeted, though the smile on her face looked a little forced. "It's a wonderful evening, isn't it?"

"Oh, yes," he agreed, shoving his notebook deeper into his pocket. "You look lovely tonight, Magda. Every time I think I've seen your most gorgeous outfit, the next dress you wear ends up exceeding my expectations," he complimented her. She nodded her thanks, and he looked around, making sure that there was no one paying attention to them. "Follow me to the balcony. There are too many eyes and ears here, and I would prefer to have our talk in private," he headed stealthily towards the door, and Magda followed suit.

The night breeze was pleasant against his skin. It made him feel a little bit... _wistful_ , actually. The wind against his face, the scent of trees and rivers and freedom - all these were part of a history long past, but it was nice to reminisce at times. "Right. So, like I've told you before, I need you to help me with a little something. Don't worry, it's nothing dangerous, and it's _mostly_ legal," he smiled when he saw the look of panic on her face. "You won't get caught or punished as long as you do exactly what I say, Magda," he reassured her.

"I have a bad feeling about this," she shook her head. "Well, what do you need me to do, Carlos?" she drew her shawl tighter around herself, the night breeze just a little bit too chilly for her. Her dress left a fair bit of skin exposed, and her shawl was rather thin. The mercenary studied her for a while, and she wondered what he was waiting for - it almost looked like he was searching for something, but what was there for him to see?

"New lipstick?" he asked conversationally, changing the subject. She frowned, about to comment on the abrupt switch in topics, but he continued before she could interrupt. "Looks like it's Finsel's popular new berry shade. It flatters your skin so well, Magda," he beamed, and she slowly nodded, playing along. She could hear footsteps approaching, and she understood why Carlos was now talking about her lipstick. As they continued chatting about fashion trends, the door to the balcony suddenly opened, and Gonzalo Jorcastle stopped when he saw her and Carlos together.

"Oh, my little sparrow, am I _interrupting_ something?" Gonzalo asked, a knowing smile on his face. Magda blushed. No, he was getting it all wrong! She tried to explain, but Gonzalo just waved his hands, shaking his head. "You don't need to explain yourself to me, Magda! I know when to make myself scarce. Good luck, my sweet little sparrow - I'm off to find the lovely guardsman, so if you wish to tell me anything later, you know where to find me," his voice trailed away as he retreated, closing the door quietly behind him.

For a while, Magda didn't know what to say. "This is all your fault," was the first thing that came out of her mouth, and Carlos sighed, looking heavenwards. "I can't have the whole of Finsel thinking that we have some kind of - I don't know, _romantic relationship!_ My mother will kill me!" she stressed, already imagining her mother's disapproval. She knew what the older woman thought of the Golden Merc Corps and of Carlos in particular; he was both a mercenary and an intelligence spy, and being with him would probably mean travelling far away from Finsel, which her mother would never allow.

"Magda, you're jumping ahead of yourself. I never said I was interested in you that way," Carlos shook his head, and she exhaled, looking out at the garden below the balcony. "Rumours will simply be rumours. That's all they are. Without any basis for truth, rumours hardly become anything to care about. Now, back to the main issue at hand..." his voice turned serious, and Magda looked up again, her curiosity piqued. "From the way I see it, this will benefit both you and I. After all, this task _is_ related to your inquiry about the missing people in the slums."

Magda blinked. "Your...favour has something to do with the kidnappings?" she asked, voice wavering. Was Carlos somehow involved in the kidnappings? After all, mercenaries would do pretty much anything if they were paid enough, right? Carlos nodded, and she swallowed, sudden anxiety seizing her. Was she going to be the next target for the kidnappers? Had she finally dug too deep and gotten herself into something too dangerous to handle?

"I can see the panic all over your face, Lady Ellenstein," Carlos' voice was filled with humour. "You need to relax. I have nothing to do with the kidnappings - but there _is_ someone who will pay me a pretty penny to gather information about what's going on in Finsel, and that's where you come in, Magda," he whispered, reaching out to catch a stray curl of her hair between his fingers. He gently tucked the loose lock of hair behind her ear, and for some reason his closeness made her feel... _nervous_ , almost tense.

"What do you need me to do?" she asked slowly, looking up and meeting his gaze. Carlos smiled back at her, that careful, placid smile which revealed nothing about what he was thinking - his fingers moved from her ear to her cheek, and she shivered as his thumb gently traced circles over her skin. Her heart was suddenly beating so quickly - because of nerves? Because of fear? Because of something else? She didn't know.

"It's very simple," he told her. "As I gathered from just now, you are on very good terms with Gonzalo Jorcastle, yes?" she nodded reluctantly. They were good friends, which was why Carlos suddenly bringing him up made her feel extremely uneasy. "Well, I need you to get into one of their balls, I'm sure that wouldn't be difficult for you, and then ask Gonzalo about the black powder his family is trading," Carlos held up a hand as she opened her mouth to interject. "I know, I know, it sounds like a sensitive issue - so that's why I don't _expect_ you to get any information out of him. I just want you to see his reaction and let me know how it goes. That's all there is to it, really. Quite straightforward, isn't it?" he sounded very satisfied with himself.

"But that would risk my friendship with Gonzalo! If you already know about the black powder, then you should know that it's a _secret_ \- I'm not even supposed to know about it, much less ask Gonzalo what his family is doing with it," she protested. Although she had initially gotten close to Gonzalo as part of their plan to climb back up the social ladder, over time she had grown to genuinely care for him, and she didn't want to do anything that would hurt him or Tilla. Both mother and son had been good friends to her, and she wanted to treat them the same way.

"You know, Magda, your passionate answer has allowed me to find out two things - one, that Gonzalo Jorcastle's friendship with you may very well be one of your weaknesses, and two...you already know about the black powder, which isn't something I had expected," Carlos leant close and whispered in her ear, his words making her freeze. "You are still very careless, Lady Ellenstein, even though you have already spent a considerable amount of time among Finsel's social circles. Perhaps making friends in both high and low places has made you too... _comfortable_ with your current standing?" he withdrew, studying her with those piercing red eyes. She felt naked underneath his gaze, her secrets and weaknesses laid bare for him to see.

"Please don't make me do this," she whispered, squeezing her eyes shut. "I'm willing to do anything else, just not this," she hoped that Carlos would miraculously turn benevolent and change his mind, although she knew the chances of that happening were extremely low. She felt his fingers tilting her chin up and his breath against her mouth, warm and faintly sweet.

"Anything else, Magda? What if I asked you to go to the Calypso Club and sleep with lecherous old noblemen, would you be willing to do that?" he asked, looking completely serious. "What if I asked you to give up your current goal of entering the Senate and just resign yourself to a life in the slums, serving the very same men who lusted for you the moment you entered the ball?" she trembled, unable to reply, and he sighed. "Lady Ellenstein, don't tell me that you'll be willing to do _anything_ else when both you and I know it is far from the truth," his tone was dismissive. "There will be no negotiations. Do a good job and I'll receive my intelligence, and you'll get some information about the Orens who disappeared from the slums. But mess this up and you'll ruin your relationship with the Jorcastle family _and_ probably lose all chance of getting back into the Senate. So...you know what to do, don't you?"

He was calm and his smile was sweet, but there was an undercurrent of threat in his words, and she had to look away from the mercenary. Carlos cleared his throat. "That's enough for tonight then. Rest well, Lady Ellenstein. I look forward to hearing from you soon," he bade her farewell, to which she did not respond. Thankfully he didn't linger, leaving her alone on the balcony, and she remained there for a while, thinking over what she should do next.


End file.
